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Siman 21 – What should be done with snapped off tsitsis?

  1. Any mitzva item (that doesn’t have any inherent kedusha) which can no longer be used should still not be directly thrown away nor used degradingly. Examples: cut off tsitsis – sukka walls – lulav – shofar – tallis for tefilla. You will get a beracha if you’re machmir even to put the tsitsis in geniza. (Rama1 – MB1,6,7)
  1. If the item can still be used for the mitzvah in the future, you may not use it for any non-mitzva use. (ShA1)
  1. You can do another mitzva with broken tsitsis, use it for a bookmark. (MB8)
  1. A tallis katan, even one that has tsitsis on it, is allowed to be used for non-mitzva purposes. (MB12)
  1. You may bring a tallis katan into a toilet room but it isn’t proper to do so with a tallis gadol or a kittel. (MB14)
  1. The Ari z”l wrote that one should sleep at night wearing a tallis katan. (MB15)
  1. Be careful not to let your tsitsis drag along the ground. (ShA4)